Resume help

I could really use some pointers with regards to my resume. I have apply to pretty much every jobs available in Huntsville and I am getting nothing. I am guessing because of my resume.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LOSeF_MivtN9NMFRD-OslEjY2dsBA4WFI_QZ6djX4U/edit?hl=en&authkey=CK6J5fYI

The Primary thing that you are selling is you education so expand that section quite a bit and move the work expereince down the page.

Tell us more about what areas studied beyond the core ME curriculum.

MOVE YOUR SAE STUDENT DESIGN EXPERIENCE FRONT and CENTER. This is one of your selling points and it looks almost like a footnote.

The thing to remember about a resume is this is your sales literature. It's purpose is to get you interviews. Think about what will make a prospective hiring manager want to talk to you over all the other new college grads. Right now your resume says to me, "I am a generic engineering student who doesn't bother write much." I know from your posts here that you can write well and have done a lot more than take the classes you needed to ge the degree.

That resume is nothing but quick bullits that doesn't say anything about what you can do. You need to expand your experience and potential, say what you have done and a brief explaination. How did you use AutoCad and what did you designed with it. I live and work in Huntsville too but not an engineer. I have reviewed resumes and participated on interview panels. That unfortunately won't get a second look. Need to focus on more description of what you can do. Also this is an aerospace town, as I'm sure you are aware. Translate some of your background into those terms. Expand with a very brief explenation in your professional affiliations. Also, when sending a resume for a specific job tailor it and focus it on what the job opening is. Put the announcement into your own words in your resume in a format of "I've done.." and "I know how..". Don't lie but expand the truth.
Unfortunately I don't have anything to do with the engineers hiring where I work. I'm a tech (retired helicopter mech) that works for the army. The above is what I was taught when I retired from the army and my experience here. That format got me hired here and promoted, first as a contractor (hired & promoted) then hired and promoted twice in 6 years of civil service.

Put your SAE experience under work experience..

but damn.. that format is horrible.

http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2009/10/top-5-reasons-why-your-resume-sucks.html <-- read that it will help.

Two words: War Eagle.

I wouldn't hire you

That resume is how the Career Services people at UAH told me to do it.

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Take what they say with a grain of salt. The best job they could get is one with "career services" at a state university.

T.J. wrote: In reply to 93EXCivic: Take what they say with a grain of salt. The best job they could get is one with "career services" at a state university.

The thing that really sucks is I can't apply for any jobs on the website without them approving the resume.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-L3-cjcALahHQXyq6FXsA1RLpJzADxOuPb6Yssvcuo/edit?hl=en#

How does this look.

"Following the rules" is the quickest way to make a resume that looks exactly like everyone else's.

The job of your resume is to get you an interview. It should pique interest in whoever is reviewing them. Normal is boring, and boring will NOT get you a job. Now, the flip side of this, is to make it interesting without obfuscating the information you're trying to convey. Don't start using wacky fonts that make it illegible.

What I did for mine that got me my current job was gave myself a tagline. I won't give you exactly what I used, but it was in the vein of putting "Reverend Dexter, Badass Motherberkleyer" (only, you know, safe for work and all that). The key part is that it got the hiring staff talking about my resume, and got me in the door. It also ensured that I wasn't getting hired into a place with no sense of humor

Big thumbs up for keeping it to one page. The times that I've been on the looking-at end, anything that was multiple pages got put on the bottom of the stack (if not right in the trash).

In reply to ReverendDexter:

It isn't one page. Google docs messes with the formatting a little. There is no way I can keep it under and a page and even begin to explain what all I have done.

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Then you're doing it wrong. Your resume should be tailored to each job you use it for. If you have more than a full page of directly applicable experience, that means that you can trim it down to the one page of the most awesome and even-more-directly applicable stuff for that specific job. If your good stuff is on the back page it's on the wrong spot, and if the stuff on the back page isn't good, why is it there in the first place?

Think of your resume as a commercial. You have < 30 seconds to grab someone's attention and give them a reason to put you on the short list. What commercials do you actually sit down and watch? What commercials do you immediately mute, or worse, cause you to change the channel? What commercials do you not remember as soon as the show comes back on? What stuff is so good that you go find it on Youtube and show it to your buddies?

You definitely should keep a document that has all of your experience and the relevant contact information. That should NOT be your resume.

93EXCivic wrote: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-L3-cjcALahHQXyq6FXsA1RLpJzADxOuPb6Yssvcuo/edit?hl=en# How does this look.

Google is telling me that I need permission to look at your revision.

With regards to the your schools placement office, give them the verision they want for thier purposes and then create something that is actually going to get an interview.

The thing you need to remember is this is your work search, not the university's. They may have well intentioned rules about controlling how you contact employers in the area and present yourself. However, the placement office is not going to buy your food or pay your rent when you graduate. You are not getting interviews doing it their way. I think you going to have to step outside the process you have been using and create you own.

If you want help, there are any number of us who can teach you how to do an effective work search. But it will probably be quite different than what you are doing now.

For a student - definitely a one-pager. As far as experience goes - rethink it as a section for accomplishments and achievements. What you have accomplished is about the best tool a hiring manager has as far as predicting what you are capable of. Resumes are mostly used by HR departments as a screening tool - so tailor it to match the requirements as best you can for each application, but definitely highlight achievements over dates and titles.

This might be a stretch in engineering, but we are in the Internet age, not the typewriter age. Use of color and graphic elements is fair game. If you want to take it off the deep end, link to a personal web site (most resumes are electrons these days) - make the site your resume - you can go on more deep dives into projects, accomplishments and capabilities. Get them attached to you before they've even met you. Granted, that could be a lot of work - but the point is to show, not tell, why you are a better choice than possibly hundreds of other folks with presumably similar experience and education levels.

Caution - take my advice with a grain of salt - I'm a journalist/marketing guy by training and trade, not an engineer.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Spell out acronyms with the acronym in parenthesis the first time used. After that you can use the acronyms. Not all reviewers will be engineers and know what they are. There are engineers that don't know what that stuff is. One page is nice but not always doable. Put the important stuff on the first page. And definately tailor to a specific job. I found it easier to make one master that has everything on it, my master is over 5 pages and then copy/paste to a new doc only the parts that fits the application you are submitting for. Works great for the places that have web application process. I can't see the revised doc here at work - silly gubment blocking.

Target the position. Then show what you can bring to the table.The resume is just an attention grabber to make them want to interview you. If nothing along the standard lines seems to be working, try the offbeat. What have you got to lose? Companies now are wankers, don't expect even an acknowledgment any more. They probably are inundated-make yours stand out. NETWORK LIKE CRAZY!!!! Good luck!

I figure the cover letter is where you tailored your application to the company is this not the case. Should I tailor the resume as well? I really am trying to come with a general resume I can take to job fairs as well.

You will need to create multiple versions of your resume and you need to taillor your resume anytime you are going after a specific job. Some recruiters and hiring managers will read cover letters some don't. There is no rhyme or reason to it. So you need to do a good job on both.

What I started doing a few years ago was building a "master" resume with everything I have done that might be of interest. Its roughly 6 and half pages long now. No one other than me ever sees the whole thing. When I am going after a particluar job, I save a copy and then simply remove anything that doesn't directly apply to job I'm after. I also have generic versions to use at job fairs and networking events. Sometimes I tailor those as well, depending on the event.

Planning and executing effective work searching is a required life skill these days. If you are feeling a little lost, don't be surprized. They really don't teach it school most places. Its not easy, but you wouldn't be studying Engineering if you were able to learn challenging stuff.

You should most definitely tailor the resume to the job.

If you're going to a job fair, I would make resumes that're specific to the positions that you'd like to apply for, and if you know that there are specific employers that you'd like to work for, I'd make specific resumes just for them. You might even get your foot in the door with one of your prime choices when they see you dig for the resume you have specific for them - it shows that not only do you want a job, you want the job at their company, and you've put extra effort into getting it.

Long story short, I'd have three or four different versions ready to go, and talk to the company's representatives before choosing which one to give them.

Now, to crap in your cheerios, all the good jobs I've ever had, I got by knowing people, NOT by applying for them. All the jobs I got straight through an application process ended up being not worth my time.

So basically what I am hearing is those 17 jobs I have already applied for are berkeleyed. Great.

May not be totally berkleyed. You can always submit an updated resume to the ones you really care about.

My take on you - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qMhrFkSXbrcsLuCJz5sgWUlVMUnfZ_bhLxeV4QiE1W4/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJKertQC

You gotta keep it to one page. You've never had a real job. If you can't tell me what I need to know in one page, with almost no professional experience, then that doesn't speak well.

You had "intern" misspelled. Typos, misspellings, etc. are a resume killer.

You had all of your best stuff buried in the last section, on page two, which will never be read because the resume has already been tossed. I created a new section called Academic Experience and put all that good stuff front and center.

I buried your "Technical Skills" in the above. I don't want a list of software - I want to know what you know, what you can do with the software, etc.

I would have thrown away the resume you posted. It sucked. You wouldn't get in the door. OTOH, I'd be looking forward to the interview of the guy that is represented in the version I tweaked.

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

Where should I put software such as Patran/Nastran which I learned in classes but have not really used in my clubs? I know that a number of companies want to see that and I have a decent grasp of it.

If you REALLY think you have to have them on there, maybe add another subsection to the Academic Experience titled something like Other, and bullet point them in. That said, I bet if you try you can work them into actual experience. For instance, did you do any FEA on the suspension parts, even if it wasn't NASTRAN? Then bullet point it under FSAE "Used various FEA packages (CosmosWorks, Nastran, etc.) in design of Steering Knuckle."

That said - I don't think you need to.

The resume is to get you in the door. The interview will give you plenty of time to wow them with all that you know. A resume that is 80% complete but leaves me wanting to meet you and learn more is way better than one that bullet points your whole life, but puts me to sleep.

Thanks for all the help. I am going to take want y'all said restart the resume and resubmit it to a bunch of the companies.